TimesFour

…1984: The Packers got snowed under by their own mistakes, as well as by a Rocky Mountain blizzard.

In a raging snowstorm that dumped 10 inches of snow on Denver over the course of the afternoon and evening, Green Bay’s Monday night tilt with the Broncos boasted one of the most bizarre beginnings to a game in Packer history.

Denver won the opening coin toss but, given the conditions, elected to kick. On the Packers’ first play from scrimmage, Gerry Ellis fumbled on a run off right tackle, and safety Steve Foley ran it in for a quick score. Following the ensuing kickoff, the Packers ran the same play, this time with Jessie Clark carrying the ball, if only temporarily. Same play, same result: Fumble, Packers; touchdown, Broncos.

After 37 seconds of game time, Green Bay found itself behind 14-0. They dominated play the rest of the night, rolling up 423 yards of offense to Denver’s 193 and 25 first downs to the Broncos’ 10. Lynn Dickey overcame the Broncos, the snow, and wind gusts that reached 55 mph by throwing for 371 yards (206 of them to James Lofton), but the team couldn’t overcome blunders at crucial times.

After Denver’s second TD, Del Rodgers returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards, and the Packers eventually moved to the Denver 11. But a sack by Karl Mecklenburg, followed by a missed 29-yard field goal attempt by Eddie Garcia, left the score the same.

(Garcia also missed from 37 yards late in the second quarter, putting him at 3 for 9 in field goal tries for the season, and prompting coach Forrest Gregg to cut him later in the week in favor of street free agent Al Del Greco.)

A pair of second-half touchdowns pulled the Packers to within striking distance, but with just over three minutes left to play, Rulon Jones sacked Dickey at the Denver 28, forcing the fumble that settled the outcome for good.

The loss was the sixth of seven in a row for the snakebitten Packers after an opening-day win. The team committed five turnovers, but looked like the model of efficiency next to the Broncos’ opponent from the previous week. In that game, Detroit turned the ball over to Denver 10 times in a 28-7 loss.

As for the snowstorm that helped make the game legendary, it was dramatic enough to warrant a brief write-up in the following week’s Time magazine, which reported that with many of the Denver’s snowplows still in storage, nearby Interstate 70 was the scene of a spectacular (but not fatal) 56-car accident during the game.

October 15, 1984
Mile High Stadium, Denver
Attendance: 62,546

		1	2	3	4	Final
Packers		0	0	7	7	14
Broncos		14	3	0	0	17

DN: Steve Foley 22 fumble return (Rich Karlis kick)
DN: Louis Wright 27 fumble return (Karlis)
DN: Karlis 30 FG
GB: Gerry Ellis 5 run (Eddie Garcia)
GB: James Lofton 54 pass from Lynn Dickey (Garcia)

Trivia: Between 1984 and 1990, the Packers faced AFC teams 26 times. How many of those games did Green Bay win? The answer will appear in the Comments section tomorrow.